Valorant Raze Agent Guide | Abilities and How to play

Raze is a raw damage dealer as all of her abilities deal damage- something very rare for a Valorant agent. Raze is very simple and her abilities are very easy to learn- but very hard to master. There are techniques such as satchel jumping that the best Raze players can pull off every single time in a split second.

Is Raze right for you?

Raze is a Valorant character that plays super aggressively, dealing heavy damage and thrives off of it. This means she will be playing an entry every single time and if this is your style then Raze is for you! You also need to put in a lot of time to become a Raze master so if you are willing to put in the grind, then pick up Raze and apply what we say in this guide!

Raze’s abilities

Boom Bot (C)

How to use Boom Bot (C)

Riot Games’ go to explosive mechanic places a small robot that charges forward in a straight line and bounces off of any surfaces it hits. Whilst moving, it scans in a small cone in front of it and locks onto any of the enemy team it sees- blowing up when it gets close.

Boom Bot (C) can sometimes kill enemies, especially as it does between 30 and 80 damage when exploding. It can be shot but it takes 100hp worth of damage to do this- meaning enemies will be distracted!

Raze can only have one charge per round and it costs 300 credits so is relatively expensive to buy.

When and where to use Boom Bot (C)

The Boom Bot (C) is best used as a distraction to entry or to clear corners. As it lasts 10 seconds, you can usually clear a fair amount of angles if you learn your lineups to bounce it off of walls.

Even if the enemies shoot it and it doesn’t blow up, you have gained some valuable information about who is where! The Boom Bot (C) shows you where it will travel to before you place it, so learning lineups and hitting them consistently is much easier than when using abilities on other agents!

Blast Pack (Q)

How to use Blast Pack (Q)

Blast Pack (Q) is what makes Raze so awesome- she can practically fly! Raze throws down a satchel which will explode after 5 seconds, damaging anyone it hits except Raze as well as propelling Raze in the direction of the explosion.

This is very good for peeking corners quickly or getting up to obscure off angles to kill the enemies from. We recommend buying at least one of the two charges Raze can have every round as they only cost 200 credits and give Raze mobility to create space as a duelist. They also do between 5 and 50 damage.

When and where to use Blast Pack (Q)

Use both charges of Blast Pack (Q) in quick succession to get a massive boost in a direction- most of the Raze montage plays you see will have Raze throwing both and getting a huge distance. We suggest always using these when attacking to entry as your role as a Duelist is to make space for your team- something Blast Pack (Q) is pivotal for.

To peek an angle, place the pack directly in front of you and stand just to the left or right of it, then as you explode it, you will shoot across the entryway you want to peek and be able to gather intel at a much faster speed than just peeking and hiding again- this is also good if you are trapped and need to cross an entryway as it is faster than launching yourself up and over.

Paint Shells (E)

How to use Paint Shells (E)

Paint Shells (E) has Raze throwing a grenade which, upon detonation, explodes into a four part cluster grenade in a larger area of effect. Being her signature ability, Raze gets Paint Shells (E) for free each round, with one charge that she can recharge after two kills. The damage is 15-55 for each grenade, depending on how close it is.

When and where to use Paint Shells (E)

Paint Shells (E) is very good for forcing enemies out of corners and angles as it can do up to 90 damage to an enemy. This means they will be significantly chunked. The grenade explodes after 3 seconds so you can explode the Paint Shells (E) in the air, and have the four smaller grenades rain down over multiple enemies.

Raze should use Paint Shells (E) as a distraction as it will force enemies to react if thrown correctly. Because of this, Raze can push and kill unprepared enemies- making space for her teammates to enter the site.

Showstopper (X)

How to use Showstopper (X)

Raze equips a rocket launcher that can one shot multiple enemies at once due to its massive area damage and area of effect abilities. Her ultimate ability’s damage varies between 30 and 150 depending on how close the rocket explodes to enemies- which will happen when it makes contact with anything.

Raze has 10 seconds after using the ability to fire the rocket and cannot do anything else during this time. She is also blasted backwards when firing. Showstopper (X) costs 8 ultimate points so make sure you get your money’s worth!

When and where to use Showstopper (X)

Combine Showstopper (X) with Blast Pack (Q) to really get the full use out of your mobility built into your kit. Raze can use all three movement abilities to push into a site and to a certain angle.

Showstopper (X) is best used in tight corners and short distances as it is a slow moving rocket that can be somewhat avoided. The closer you are to enemies- the less they can react! Raze can do damage to herself with it however so be careful.

Best and worst team compositions for Raze

The best team compositions for Raze

The best team composition for Raze is one that has smokes, blinds and other utility. As Raze uses her abilities to distract enemies, she needs someone to prohibit vision from others she cannot distract. The best team composition goes as follows:

• Raze
• Phoenix
• Viper
• Sova
• Sage

Phoenix is a very good Duelist to push in with Raze and help distract enemies, who should be off guard thanks to the Controller in Viper having blocked off vision. Sova as an Initiator can scout out enemies- meaning Raze can figure out where to throw her Paint Shells (E) and use her Showstopper (X). Sage allows Raze to get to some even better off angles with her Blast Pack (Q) as the chosen Sentinel.

The worst team compositions for Raze

The worst team compositions for Raze are those that cannot cover her whilst she distracts the enemies. Agents that want to sit back are not what Raze wants. Once she commits to a push she cannot come back easily. The worst Raze team composition is this:

• Raze
• Neon
• Killjoy
• Cypher
• Brimstone

Neon does not push the way Raze does, as Neon wants to stay near her Fast Lane (C) whereas Raze wants to push in deep. Killjoy and Cypher want to play slowly and methodically. Whilst Brimstone can be a good pick with Raze, the fact that she will have her ultimate Showstopper (X) every so often, Brimstone’s Stim Beacon (C) does not boost her all the time.

The Best and worst maps for Raze

The best map for Raze

The best map for Raze is Split. This is because of the verticality Raze can really use to her advantage. With her Blast Pack (Q), she can get to the high ground from angles enemies would not expect- such as to A Rafters from below.

Raze also has very good lineups on Split, as spike sites are quite small, she can throw her Paint Shells (E) and fire her Showstopper (X) into tight angles and almost guarantee a kill or some significant damage.

The worst map for Raze

Haven is arguably the map Raze struggles on the most. Raze does not really have any bad maps, but Haven limits her the most. When defending, the off angles she can get to are very linear and are in line of sight from multiple angles, exposing her.

When attacking the angles she pushes from are quite straight forward and while Haven is all about out-rotating enemies, Raze is needed for entry on Haven as it can be difficult to push onto a spike site. Raze also struggles with lineups on Haven when attacking as the pushing corridors are very long and her Paint Shells (E) only last 3 seconds.

Best and worst guns for Raze

The best guns to use when playing Raze

Raze’s best guns are ones which she can grab kills fast with. As she wants to push onto site hard, there is little point buying a gun that forces her to play stationary and at range. Raze’s best guns go like this:

• Vandal/Phantom
• Spectre
• Judge
• Bulldog

The Vandal and the Phantom are the best rifles in the game and both are very good at killing enemies when she lands after forcing her way into an angle or onto site. With the choice being up to you. The Spectre is very good at killing close range enemies if you jump onto them- something the Judge does quite well too, but is limited when on larger maps and spike sites. The Bulldog allows Raze to get kills up close but can be used quite well if she does not want to push in deep.

The worst guns to use when playing Raze

Raze does not like long range weapons that struggle to one shot. The worst guns for Raze go as follows:

• Guardian
• Sheriff
• Classic
• Marshal

The Guardian is a very good weapon but struggles in the hands of Raze due to its slow fire rate meaning she will very rarely get multiple kills with it when pushing onto site- which is similar to the Sheriff. The Classic does not do enough damage for Raze to make it viable on pistol rounds as she will not even get the first kill when pushing. The Marshal forces Raze to stay stationary and peek corners constantly- something Raze hates.

Defending Tips for Raze

• Get to off angles with your Blast Pack (Q). The ability allows Raze to hold angles and get cheese kills on enemies- especially at low elo where players only check the angles they expect enemies to be.
• Use your Paint Shells (E) to slow down enemies pushing. This allows your team to rotate to your site as the enemies will have to wait for both the first Paint Shell (E) to explode and the second four. Don’t forget, Paint Shells (E) does heavy damage and the enemy team knows this!

Attacking Tips for Raze

• Combine Blast Pack (Q) and Showstopper (X) to push. If you learn satchel jumping and the lineups, you can fly through smokes and still land where you want to land- usually unscathed as the enemies cannot see you through smokes.
• Hold your ultimate for the full 10 seconds. Because your Showstopper (X) gives off an audio cue, enemies will usually play safe for 10 seconds until it runs out- that is your chance to push onto site. The longer you wait before firing your rocket, the longer they will play passive and safe!

Let us know what you think about our Raze guide, if she is the Valorant agent for you and whether we can expect to see your satchel jump montages anytime soon!